In today’s VUCA world it is important to have leadership anchors (secure bases) to help us feel safe and secure. I don’t know about you but I often feel that I am being tossed around by all the turbulence that is happening around me. Sometimes I feel a bit like a boat that is being pounded by the waves and when I can’t control these situations it can create anxiety and stress. It’s hardly surprising that given the environment we live into today 1 in 4 people suffer from some form of mental health challenges.
So what can we do to minimise this anxiety? What leadership anchors can we put in place to help us feel secure during these turbulent times.
In his book Care to Dare author George Kohlrieser reveals how when you have an anchor or secure base it can help alleviate anxiety as you feel supported and acknowledged. Having a secure base or bases can help unleash astonishing performance that delivers exceptional results. In fact he defines having a secure base as “a person, place, goal or object that provides a sense of protection, safety and caring AND offers a source of inspiration and energy for daring, exploration, risk taking an seeking challenge.”
What surprised me most by this definition was that:
1. You can have multiple secure bases
2. Secure bases don’t just have to be people, they can be places, goals, objects or activities.
I know in the past I have often thought about security coming from other people but what I realised was that for me my horses are a secure base which is why they make such great partners for me to work alongside. I know they have my back and I trust them explicitly during our workshops to bring their best and challenge my clients in a daring way to step into their leadership greatness and become the person they are destined to be.
In today’s VUCA world business also has an increasing role in creating safety bases for our employees. With team members spending nearly a third of their week at work if they don’t feel safe they will not be as engaged and productive as they could be, and this will have a knock on effect on profitability.
Furthermore, the 2019 People Management Report conducted by the Predictive Index revealed that when team members feel that they have a secure base that gives them what Harvard Business School Professor Amy Cuddy refers to as Psychological safety they are less likely to quit.
“Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes”
When leaders create psychological safety then 96% of team members feel that they can approach their boss with problems as they realise that they will not be judged for their ideas or contribution. Contrast this with just 43% of team members who feel they can speak up when there is little or no psychological safety.
In addition the data shows the subtle ways that managers can sabotage their teams and destroy psychological safety (e.g., not valuing employees’ unique skills, not being approachable, and not respecting personal values). While these aren’t outright displays of mistreatment, they still negatively impact the employee experience and contribute to low levels of team engagement.
The first step to creating a secure base with someone and in doing so provide psychological safety is by forming a deep connection with them – a bond. When people feel bonded to each other they trust each other. They know the other person has their back. There is a transparency in the relationship and both parties respect each other and value each other. These bonds are created through “water cooler talk” and actually investing time in getting to know your team members as individuals. Leaders need to know what makes every team member tick so they can effectively inspire and motivate them to be their best.
However, the rub here is that very few leaders can be an effective secure base for someone else if they don’t have their own secure base. This is one of the reasons that we often describe success in business as being a team sport. Few people can design a successful life without the support of others, and those that put success ahead of relationships often end up as “independent loners” and can often suffer from illness, addiction, depression and chronic loneliness. Conversely, those that put relationships ahead of goals can often end up failing to live up to their full potential.
So my challenge to you today is to get clarity on who or what are your secure bases, and where do you provide this role for others?. It can be really enlightening to understand where these drivers lie and how they impact you. Please share your thoughts with me.
A special thanks to Marie O’Hara and Coaching York for inspiring this post.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
